We come again to the matter of integrity, principally our own. Words used for integrity are several, and include a sense of wholeness. There is meaning of completeness, of soundness (as in moral principle), of uprightness, even virtue in sincerity and honesty. Or to approach the concepts from another direction, to have integrity is to be uncorrupted or unimpaired in the area of reference, but reinforced in the total integration of a life. In limited integrity a person may have large integrity in personal matters, but violate it in business matters – so context needs to be known when one is called a person of integrity. In the events of King David’s life, the highest integrity was in public life, but that was affected by the losses in private life. Much of what we know he wrote in the Psalms related to failings and recoveries in personal integrity. God holds us to the total integrity of holistic lives. Part of David’s escape was admitting his fault stumbles.
David must have known that integrity failure in any part of one’s life will have some impact on other context dimensions. For example and in a matter seldom reviewed, the aged King David fell to personal pride in the effectiveness of his reign, so to take census of growth in numbers for closing his administration. He set about to prove the success that he brought to Israel. The people suffered for the arrogance. One learns in the David experience that integrity requires a share of humility. Whatever God is accomplishing through what we do, must be seen as something of the gift of God to his stewards and to his creation. It is a matter of integrity (truth) that God is given the glory. This spiritual truth is important. Nothing else will last and bless us. We are all called to the application of truth – we can’t do well enough without help from God. That help is always in rightness (righteousness) under God, even on occasions when we are not personally virtuous or wise. This dependence is a part of learning about sources and genuine humility. It makes way for God to continue after this leader is gone. The new leader has the same God resource.
Too little is said about humility as one of the factors of developing devotional spiritual life. One can’t read the history of the Christian church without some meaningful exposure to the humility of the truly devout. It carried over to the dress, the attitude, even the gestures of Christians. Perhaps it meant living in limited space, in self-denying conditions. It commonly expressed itself in the rejection of any bounty. Of course, this was sometimes overdone, so that humility became pride – one is proud that there are no others more humble in attitude and conduct. The Apostle Paul made it clear that he sometimes suffered want, and sometimes enjoyed abundance. In both instances he yearned for humility in that he recognized whatever it was, God gave it for life and ministry. In all circumstances God was seen as the Source. And, he is.
We know we have lost humility, or never gained it when we pity ourselves, perhaps with anger, or feel pride for our performance. The world is quite taken with award and reward. What makes it so difficult is that we may turn compliment, awards, respect, even love, to cause for self-honor. To love self is, in part, to learn the humility of self. We know that we are to love ourselves, because we are to love others as we love ourselves. Without self-love, that commandment is paradoxical, perhaps contradictory if wrongly interpreted. We are faced with what mankind may do in turning paradox into contradiction which may become hypocrisy. God calls us to balance our lives, and to live out our years in respect for all life, in service, and in awareness that all good things come to us from God. That helps guide us to truth about all things. In this is some of what it takes to become a person of integrity.
There is a mystery about life that is too little understood, therefore not widely embraced. Life is a gift. Life is the most salient fact from nature that there is a God. It is interesting that the emphasis of Scripture is the emphasis on life. Moses urged the people to choose life. The truly spiritual persons I have known have a sacred feeling about life. So great is life that it is the only thing that God offers to preserve for us in the Kingdom of God. All else will fade away. All else will be replaced. Although I have controversy with some of the theology of Albert Schweitzer, I appreciate his motto: Reverence for Life. That belief is warming, even stimulating, to belief in immortality. We bear in our lives the evidence (image) of God. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020